


you leave me breathless(don't break my heart)

by BugontheRug



Series: Misfortune Begets Love [2]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Buck has asthma, Eddie struggles with feelings, Feels, M/M, No HEA in this one, Pre-Slash, Worried Eddie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 10:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16427918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BugontheRug/pseuds/BugontheRug
Summary: Buck's asthma is acting up and Eddie is there to help him.





	you leave me breathless(don't break my heart)

**Author's Note:**

> So this was another nonnie request who wanted Buck having an asthma attack and a worried Eddie. I decided to make it in the same 'verse as the last sick fic and made it a series! Warning there are feels and unresolved issues at the end, but there will be another fic(or more) to fix it. So if you want to help me with this, the theme is misfortune begets love so I need some request(s) for Buck and/or Eddie in misfortunate situations to help move this series along. Either comment or contact me via my tumblr, bugontherug.tumblr.com. Enjoy! :D

Eddie admired the pink and orange hues of the rising sun reflected on the clouds. It amazed him that no matter how many morning runs he’s been on, he hasn’t seen the same sunrise twice. Each has been different in its own way like a bouquet of sunflowers or the constellations in the stars.

He turned to share this thought and found his running companion had fallen behind. He slowed down and let Buck catch up. “You doing okay there Buck?” Buck was breathing heavy, face and body portraying exhaustion.

“Yeah,” he heaved out before gasping in air, “I’m fine.” Eddie watched the plume of Buck’s breath escape into the cold, morning air. Buck was looking cute this morning in an under-armor shirt, leggings under his bright running shorts, and a knit cap tugged over his ears. Sometimes Eddie daydreamed that Buck showed off his muscles just for him and not because that’s just Buck. Eddie shook away that thought.

“Sure buddy,” Eddie chuckled bumping his shoulder, “Then let’s pick up the pace.” He started jogging forward and heard Buck groan followed by the sound of his feet tapping a fast beat against the pavement. Buck caught up and they ran shoulder to shoulder. God, Eddie loved this. He told Taylor Kelly that he missed the camaraderie from the army and he was so glad to have found some with Buck.

Soon Buck fell behind again and the sound of his feet stopped. Eddie smirked. “Can’t handle it?” he called back. When he heard no response, he turned and saw Buck doubled over. He quickly ran over and as he got closer he heard Buck wheezing and hyperventilating.

He watched as Buck fell to his hands and knees, face going pale. “Buck!” He knelt down beside him and held him upright. “Asth...ma,” Buck wheezed out. “Do you have your inhaler?” Buck shook his head no. Eddie could tell Buck was starting to panic by his strong grip on the arm holding him up.

Eddie scrambled to find the calm he normally had in emergency situations and shoved all his fear and worry aside. “Buck, you need to listen to me.” Buck showed no sign that he heard him, the panic in his face tugging at Eddie’s heartstrings. “Buck, babe, come on, listen to me, listen to my voice, just focus on that.” Buck was looking at him with wide eyes. He reached over and put Buck’s hand against his chest and held the blond man’s gaze. “Just focus on my breathing and breathe with me. I’m here, I’m not going anywhere, you’re safe.” He then started to take long, deep, breaths. Buck tried his best to follow his lead. Slowly, but surely his breathing started to slow. Buck’s eyes were brimming with trust and Eddie got lost in them, only noticing when his breath hitched. He returned to his long breaths ignoring Buck’s questioning gaze. 

Eventually Buck’s breathing returned to normal and they both sat down on the cold pavement. Eddie gave Buck a hard shove, knocking him over. “Hey watch it! I just got my breath back!”

“Why the hell don’t you carry your inhaler?!” It was all coming to the forefront; all the worry and fear swirling into misdirected anger.

“My asthma hasn’t acted up for forever!” He yelled back. “And so I’m bad about remembering it.” He then grumbled. Eddie sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Okay, I think that’s all the running we’re doing today. Let’s get you home.” Eddie stood and helped Buck up, leading him by the elbow back the way they came.

***

It was game night at Buck’s and Eddie was enjoying the buzz of his third beer. The Superbowl was just around the corner and they were trying to enjoy all the games leading up to it as they could since they were going to have to work the night of. People went crazy for the Superbowl. 

A commercial came on and Eddie was thinking about getting another beer when Buck spoke up. “Hey man, you remember that run a few days ago?” Buck asked, peeling the label off his bottle.

“The one where you nearly died? Nope, totally forgot that.” Buck leveled him with an unimpressed look. “I didn’t nearly die. You were there. You would’ve called 911 if it was that bad.” Eddie wasn’t going to tell him he might’ve forgotten that 911 was a thing in the heat of the moment.

“Okay, okay, so what about it? You want to go for another run?”

“No way! Not until the weather warms. That was torture. You,” he emphasize with a poke to his pec (and if he flexed, he would never admit it), “were trying to torture me. Now stop getting me off topic.” He went back to fiddling with the beer label and looking at everything but Eddie. Eddie was feeling a pit of unease opening in his stomach. “Why did you call me babe?” His stomach dropped. 

“What?”

“When you were helping me. You said ‘Buck, babe, come on’. And I’ve been thinking about it, you know? Why did you call me babe?” Buck’s brows were furrowed with such intense honest confusion. There was no accusation in his question, just pure curiosity. But what was Eddie suppose to tell him? _I’ve liked you more than a friend since the day you got Christopher's permission to spend the day with us and even more so when I took care of you when you were sick. And that whenever you brought up Abby or flirted with Taylor Kelly I wanted to scream ‘What about me?’, and that I can’t stop daydreaming about you and me in a world where we call each other babe and honey and you moved in with me and Christopher and that I just so happened to slip when I was trying to keep you from dying. _Yeah, Eddie wasn’t going to say any of that.__

__“I don’t know what you’re talking about man.”_ _

__“But--” Eddie stood up abruptly. “Sorry, gotta take a leak.”_ _

__He made a hasty exit to the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror, leaning against the sink wondering how he was going to get out of this situation. He took a moment to snoop, trying to buy himself a few more minutes. In the first drawer he found not one, but two inhalers. Eddie sighed and slipped one into his pocket to throw at Buck later. Guess his lecture on their way home wasn’t enough._ _

__Taking a grounding breath, Eddie opened the door and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw the game was back on, giving him a few more minutes to think of something to say._ _

__***_ _

__Things with Buck were a bit awkward after that game. Eddie had practically sprinted out when the game finished, not staying for the post-game commentary._ _

__They were acting like everything was okay, but there was this tension underlying every interaction between them._ _

__They were on a call, sitting next to each other but not talking, missing the looks Chim and Hen were sending them._ _

__They walked into the exotic plants greenhouse where a frazzled worker met them. "She's over here."_ _

__She rushed them further in toward this large bush with large red flowers. They saw an older woman caught in the bush. Large thorns pierced through her arms and legs, tears were streaming down her face that was twisted in pain._ _

__"Mary, the firemen are here. You're going to be okay."_ _

__"Please, help me." Mary sobbed._ _

__"Don't sorry ma'am. We'll get you out." Bobby reassured. "Buck, Eddie, get the bolt cutters."_ _

__"Be careful with the thorns." The worker said, "They' have a toxic coating."_ _

__"Get a move on people, we're fighting the clock." Bobby yelled. Eddie heard him asking the employee if there was anything the hospital would need to know._ _

__Eddie and Buck worked quickly, cutting the branches but leaving them for the hospital to remove. Soon Hen and Bobby were wheeling her into the ambulance._ _

__Eddie turned to find that Buck had wandered off and was examining a large, bulbous purple flower that had yet to open._ _

__He started walking toward him. "Buck, get away from that. You don't know what it is or if it's toxic or--" and suddenly the flower spewed a cloud of pollen into the blond man's face. "Buck!" Why did he always put him in these situations? His heart pounding in fear._ _

__Buck was coughing and backing away from the plant when his hand went to his throat and started to sound like he was being strangled. "Damn it," Eddie said under his breath. Both he and Chim ran to Buck's side._ _

__"Okay Buck, focus on me, just focus on me. Chim, grab my bag." Chim rushed across the room grabbing his bag as he held Buck's neck forcing him to focus on him and to reassure him that he wasn't alone._ _

__Chim opened his bag and Eddie grabbed the inhaler he forgot was in his pocket when he rushed out of Buck's place and handed it to Buck, releasing his grip on his neck. The shushing noise from the inhaler was music to his ears._ _

__Buck took some deep breaths and Chim pat his shoulder and went to tell Bobby that Buck needed to go to the hospital too._ _

__"Hey, this is mine." Buck said when he finally caught his breath._ _

__Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, I found both your inhalers in the bathroom and was going to remind you to take one and I kind of forgot and took it. Sorry, you can take it back."_ _

__Buck shook his head. "Nah, I already talked to my doc about getting another one. I was just confused since I'd just got them and was going to put one in my work bag and carry the other with me and it was missing. But you should keep this one. It's nice knowing you'll have my back." His smile melted Eddie's heart._ _

__"Always, Buck." He returned the smile and gave him a pat on the shoulder._ _

__"Thanks, babe." Eddie removed his hand like he was burned and the smile dropped with his stomach._ _

__"What?"_ _

__Buck looked at him bashfully. "I thought things have been weird between us, you know? Since you called me babe? So I was thinking if I evened things out we'd be okay." He paused, staring at Eddie with pleading eyes. "We're okay, right?"_ _

__Eddie couldn’t speak. Time seemed to both freeze and speed up the moment that word slipped from Buck's mouth. This wasn't some joke to be brushed aside. Every daydream, every stray thought about them, came crashing down around him and he came to a conclusion that soured his stomach. He couldn't keep doing this. He couldn't keep dreaming and hoping that things with Buck were going to work out. He needed to move on._ _

__He shook his head and turned walking away from Buck, brushing past Hen. How did things go so wrong?_ _


End file.
